Laytis
by Crayola Hearts
Summary: AU. In the year 5353, the future is thriving under the rule of a supercomputer called Era, but all is not as great as it seems. As the Laytis, a government organization that trains young adults and teens as protectors of the Utopia, discovers a plot to destroy the world as they know it, bonds are tested, friends broken apart, and time is slowly ticking away.


**Summary: **_In the year 5353, the future is thriving under the rule of a supercomputer called Era, but all is not as great as it seems. As the Laytis, a government organization that trains young adults and teens as protectors of the Utopia, discovers a plot to destroy the world as they know it, bonds are tested, friends broken apart, and time is slowly ticking away._

**Rating:**_T (may change in the future)_

**Paring: **_N/A (though there are/might be parings such as Graylu, Nalu, Gruvia, Jerza, Rokino, Rowen, Gale, Nali, Lyuvia, Baccanna, and many others)_

**Author's Note:**_The idea for this came from something I've been trying to write for years now as an original, but I'm horrible at creating my own characters so I've decided to use ones that were already created and since I haven't seen anything along these lines in this fandom, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, I've never been a fan of the Fairy Tail Clichés._

_Also, before anyone calls me out on it, some of the characters are OOC, which was done on purpose to match the story as there is no "oh there'll be a next time" or "you did aright, don't worry." _

* * *

**_Laytis_**

_Chapter 1: Exorbitance Operations Squad_

* * *

She didn't agree with it.

But orders were orders and her loyalty to the Utopia was the only thing that mattered; disagree as she may if it was the Utopia's decision, she had no right to question it – that's how she had been brought up. To voice this disapproval could lead to charges for treason and treachery, resulting in a dishonorable discharge which made would make her nothing but an object of shame to her renowned family. No. She would have to swallow her opinions like everyone else and follow her orders.

Just like everyone else.

She reached up and shoved an errant chunk of silky bangs from her forehead and readjusted the Sniper rifle in her hands. There were times when being a member of Laytis's Exorbitance Operations Squad, or E.O.S., was an adventurous and exciting experience, but in times like this, lying in wait for a target that may not even pass by her scope, was boring and uneventful. The urge to nod off was overwhelming, but she forced herself to keep her chocolate eyes uncovered for there was a small chance that her target may appear; if she was caught sleeping during one of her most important missions, she would surly be demoted.

She peered through the slats in the ventilation ducts. A well lit, red carpeted hall was all there was to see; absolutely no sign of her target or anyone else for that matter.

"Blondie, come in."

She reached to her ear, lightly pressing the small black object that was easily concealed by her blonde tresses. "What is it?"

"Has the objective entered your sector yet?"

"Negative," she responded with an exasperated sigh, "perhaps the information is faulty. Permission to search and destroy?"

There was a long static silence before reply finally filled the earpiece, "Permission granted, proceed with caution."

The blonde smiled, placing a hand on the heavy belt that hung at an angle around her hips, fishing for a small cylindrical object. When her dainty fingers finally landed on it, she unclipped it carefully and pointed the end at the slats, pressing the silver button on top. A thin green light the size of a sewing needle leapt from the tube, cutting though the metal with almost no effort. Before she could reach out to catch the piece, it was already falling away, landing with a loud clatter that had her flinching.

For a long moment, she stayed inside the opening waiting to see if any security guards or the building's other inhabitants would come running, but none came. Deciding that the coast was clear, she slipped from the shaft, landing with almost no sound at all. Both ends of the hall were clear except for the camera placed at each intersection; if she were to jam them, an alarm would inevitably rise and she'd be discovered.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde slipped down one hallway, careful to move only when the ever shifting cameras weren't focused in her direction. It was a long and annoying task, ducking into doorways and behind walls every ten seconds or so, but she finally reached the resident wing of the building. Activating the key pad beside the metal plated door, she quickly punched in the code.

The door opened with a clang and a hiss as its pressurized locks released. She didn't wait until it was fully open; once there was enough room to fit her large busts, she was though the gap and halfway down the hall.

It looked identical to the pervious corridor, long narrow and carpeted with a vibrant red. Small square shaped lights dotted the walls every fifteen feet, illuminating the way with a soft light. The metallic walls were painted a soft cream color, the bottom trim decorated with small green vines and blooming crimson flowers. It was a government building, one that held all of the Utopia's senators and representatives during conventions and meetings; they had been nothing less than lavish when the built it.

The dull hum of chatter filled her ears and she panicked, searching for a place to hide. Just as they were about the round the corner, she ducked behind a wall, pressing her body flat against it and forced her breathing to calm. Two elegantly dressed women strode past, their soft voices sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet corridor. She waited, holding her breath as they rounded another corner and disappeared form sight. She lingered in place for a moment longer before slowly stepping into the hall.

Now she faced a long curving corridor lined with rooms numbered one hundred through one hundred and fifty. Some of them were left wide open and completely vacant while others were closed tightly. For each apartment, there was an office right next to it, all of which were labeled accordingly. Carefully, she crept through the halls, searching for the room that housed her target.

After what felt like an eternity to her, she finally came across it - room one hundred and twenty-five.

She keyed in the override code and waited as the air locks released and the door slid open with a hiss. The apartment was dark, but it showed signs of inhabitance; a cup sat on a small round table and one of he chairs was pulled away from the furnishing as if someone had been sitting on it. Two plush pillows and a crumpled blanket occupied the couch that set along the back wall. In the small kitchen, a stack of unwashed dishes was present, giving the home a greasy smell. Scrunching her nose, the blonde stepped in and allowed the door to slide shut behind her.

Aside from the entrance, there was only one other door in the entire apartment; the one that led to the bedroom. She crept towards it, keying in the same override code she had used to get into the apartment.

Nothing happened.

She reached for the keypad again, thinking she hit the wrong number, but the sound of hissing air filled her ears as the metallic slab slid into the wall, revealing another dark room. The bedroom wasn't spacious; it consisted of a closet, a dresser, and a small bathroom. In the bed, which took up most of the room was a large man tangled within the sheets, Senator Jose – the blonde's objective.

Slowly, she reached into her pocket and with drew a small box shaped object and placed it in a spot where it would be hidden to an untrained eye. Pressing something on its small keypad, she pulled a fabric mask over her face and proceeded to dig through the man's bags; all she found was a bunch of unpacked clothing and a pornographic magazine. Sighing in defeat, she passed the square object and pushed a small green button. The box beeped a couple times before letting a spurt of powdered drug escape it, releasing another one ten seconds later. The blonde slipped into the living room, locking the bedroom door behind her.

Searching the apartment, she found what she was looking for; a small PDL that held information the man shouldn't have had in his possession. Stuffing it into her pocket, she left the Senator's living quarters, locking the entrance as well. A bitter taste filled her mouth, but she had to force it down. Her honor and her orders came before her opinions.

She reached up and touched her earpiece, "Mission accomplished."

…

"I must say," Markov stated as he paced between the squads, "Team 8750 did a spectacular job carrying out their mission."

"It was all Lucy, Sir. She was the one who infiltrated the Senator's apartment." Erza Scarlet, the oldest member of Team 8750 spoke up, her back perfectly erect and her voice thunderous in the silent hanger.

The old man nodded and turned to the blonde. She stood the same way Erza did, her arms pinned to her side and eyes straight ahead, "Good job, Miss Heartphilia. Your mother and father will be proud to hear this."

She said nothing in reply.

The elderly man looked over them once more, "All squads dismissed."

The blonde let her body relax. Quietly, she followed the others as they filtered through the small door that lead to a maze of long, winding corridors. The walls were a bleak gray that matched the metallic floor bellow. Florescent lights dotted the ceiling, illuminating the hall with a bright glow that had her thinking of the lab her mother worked in. Once the hanger door slid shut behind the last person, chatter broke out amongst them.

"For your first solo E.O.S mission, you did well," Erza complimented, patting her on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Gray chimed in, popping up beside her. He had already stripped himself of his shirt as he so often did; the black fabric was slung over his shoulder, "I mean, that was probably the fastest assassination I've ever heard of."

"But was it really a solo mission?" Lucy asked, turning to the redhead, "Both of you were present during it."

Erza thought for a moment, "Well, since all we really did was monitor the halls and you did all the work, I consider it a solo mission. I'm pleased with how smoothly things went."

"That's because that idiot wasn't here to screw things up," Gray scoffed.

"Where is Natsu anyway?" the blonde asked.

The redhead laughed, "Since he and Gajeel started a fight a couple nights ago, General Markov put both of them on Restriction; there's still a whole week left before he's allowed to go on _any_ missions with us."

She shook her head, "Idiot."

"So, how about we head to Fairy Tail to celebrate?" Gray suggested, scratching at his collar bone, "Lucy's first solo deserves it, I think."

"That's a good idea," Erza nodded.

The three separated from the rest of the mass and turned down an adjacent corridor. As they passed other military officers, they called to Lucy with congratulations and praise for a job well done. Each time she blushed and stuttered a thank you.

At the end of the hall was a set of large double doors. As they approached, they slid open, allowing a dazzling ray of streetlight, partnered with the sounds of the bustling MagnoliaTown, to slip inside. In the Skylanes above, vehicles passed with a low _whoo._

Buildings towered over them, the tips reaching to the very edges of the large shield that surrounded the city. The sky above was covered in a layer of dark red clouds that offered hardly any light from the sun beyond them; the city was illuminated by lights during the day and once midnight rolled around, the power was cut and the city was darkened until seven the next morning. Looking at the digital watch on her left wrist, Lucy saw that it was five thirty; they had at most three and a half hours before they were required to be back in Laytis for the night.

"There's been a lot of talk that a new squad is transferring over sometime next month," Erza started as they joined the people milling along the Walks. "They say they're five extremely advanced members of Lamia's Laytis branch. Apparently General Markov and General Ooba have some kind of agreement."

"Well that's new," Lucy stated, "I wonder what they're like."

Gray rolled his eyes, "Probably another bunch of arrogant bastards."

"Now Gray," Erza scolded, "don't say things like that. You haven't met them yet."

"Well according to the rumors, they'd narcissistic bastards," he justified.

Lucy cut in, "If we all relied on hearsay, think of where this place would be!"

He grumbled, but said no more.

They came to the entrance of Fairy Tail, a large square shaped building decorated with many flashing neon lights and a huge sign with a skimpily dressed fairy holding a platter of drinks; Magnolia's one and only night club. Aside form government and military buildings; it was the only business that functioned after the 'Black Out'.

The automatic doors opened, as they drew near.

It was relatively quiet at this hour; the crowds didn't start showing up until after six. A few people occupied the scattered tables and a couple seats at the bar, but that was all. There were no showy dancers who bathed in too much perfume and glitter, no DJ or loud music and only three waitresses and the bartender, Kinana. The purple haired woman looked up as they entered the establishment, flashing a dazzling smile. "Erza! Hey!"

"Hello, Kinana, how are you?" The redhead asked. She dove into a conversation with the woman while she prepared and severed their drinks.

"Congrats, Lucy." She said sweetly after the young woman had finished telling the story of their latest job, "Is Natsu coming tonight?"

"I doubt it," Gray scoffed, "General Markov won't even let him leave Laytis. "

Kinana laughed at this, "Well, he knew better than to start a fight with Gajeel, the General was bound to hear of it."

"Well, what's done is done." Erza stated simply, sipping at her drink. "I'm just happy tomorrow is the start of our week off, I've been wanting one for a while now."

"Oh?"

A fair haired woman had joined Kinana behind the counter; Mirajane Strauss, one of Laytis's most dangerous women. Erza tensed as she felt her bright blue orbs on her. She was one of the sweetest people you could meet, but underneath her angelic appearance she was a demon, and a gossip-monger as well as a hopeless romantic. "Going to see that fiancé of yours?"

"H-He's not my fiancé!" the redhead shouted in protest, "We-we're just close friends!"

Lucy giggled.

"What about you, Lucy? What are you doing to do on your week off?" Mira asked with a bright smile.

The blonde thought for a moment, "I'll more than likely spend it with my parents; it's been a while since I've seen them."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you still have both of your parents," Erza replied nonchalantly. "What is their line of work?"

"My mother is a scientist and my father is the head of a corporation," She replied with a shrug. "Neither one of them have much time for me," after a moment she muttered, "but at least Mother tries to find some."

"Then why join Laytis?" Gray asked, "You could have become an intern in the lab or something."

The blonde smiled, "My cousin is a member of the Laytis; he's always telling stories of his missions and the like. I thought it would be fun and different instead of sitting in front of a microscope all day, though I do like science."

"And have those ideas proven true?" Kinana asked.

The blonde nodded, "Yup! Though training was a pain in the butt."

Both of her teammates laughed at this. They knew from experience what she was talking about. The training they had undergone to make it to the E.O.S was a long and rigorous task filled with many cuts, bruises, and near death experiences, but in the end it had made them stronger than a normal Laytis member.

"Though I've never been a good fighter," she admitted grudgingly.

"Maybe not," Mira said, "but I hear from the General that you're rather smart and analytical, perhaps that's why you were promoted? Between Natsu, Gray, and Erza, they needed someone with a head on the team."

The blonde stifled a laugh as Gray and Erza cast a vicious glare at the fair haired woman who seemed completely unaffected by it; she kept smiling brightly.

An hour or so passed filled with much laughter and drinking. Finally Lucy downed the last of her drink and set the empty glass on the counter, "I'm heading back, I've got a few things I need to pack before heading to Acalypha."

They said their goodbyes as Lucy excused her self from the bar and stumbled out the door, narrowly avoiding the massive line that was beinging to form outside. The sky had darkened considerably as the sun had all but disappeared, leaving the once red clouds to be nothing but dark gray masses obscuring the stars that lay behind them. In-ground lights illuminated the Walk as she weaved in and out of the masses of people on their way home from work or to the club.

A warm glow filled her, but she suspected it was from the consumption of alcohol.

The thought of seeing her mother again had put her in a giddy mood.

A huge smile was plastered on her face as she thought of all the stories she could tell and the thought of possibly helping with her latest project, a pill that could enhance a person's strength and endurance for a short period of time without any serious side effects. The idea behind it was to forcibly induce an adrenaline rush in someone, and though the idea had already been done and tested, the person had died each time. It was a secret project the head of the Laytis had given her and one that could result in her execution if word got out.

Any type of human experimentation was absolutely forbidden in the Utopia, but that didn't stop people from trying.

She entered through Laytis's back entrance, a door hidden in a dark alley that lead to a long underground tunnel. It had been created a few years after the Laytis's founding as a way for the members to sneak in and out of the building and by some miracle, it had remained a secret. She was still a year underage; if she had strode through the front door and someone managed to catch a whiff of her lovely smelling perfume, there was a high chance she could have been demoted or even discharged.

The tunnel was damp and dark, filled with an earthy smell despite the fact the city was suspended nearly five hundred feet above the sea. The passage was used for more than just a way to sneak in; there were several rooms hidden on the sides which held things she had never seen, and with the rumors circulating amongst the senior members, she wasn't sure she wanted to see them.

She finally reached the end of the tunnel. It was blocked off by a large door that would open into the back of the building's basement, a place that was frequented only by the rats and other vermin that loved dark, disgusting places. She keyed in the combination on the pad set into the wall beside it and waited as it slid open with a silent hiss.

The basement was dark without even the slightest hint of light, but after several expeditions through the tunnel, she knew where the secret ladder, that would take her up to the roof if she wanted, was placed; right behind a pile of empty metal crates. Lucy didn't dare use her visor as a small red light on the right side of it lit up when the object was in use, there were rare occasions when the mechanics would venture down. She felt her way through the blackness until her hand clasped around a cold metal rung. She hoisted herself up and started the climb.

She reached the fifth story in less than twenty minutes. The ground below her was noting but a black hole that seemed to swallow everything. Gingerly, she reached to the side, finding the keypad for the door. Pulling the visor off her head, she lowered it over her eyes and pressed a button on the left side, activating the night vision. The tunnel around her was illuminated in a green glow. She was in an old maintenance shaft that was still used by some of the mechanics; it was dangerous to linger in it for too long. Keying in the override code, she waited for the door to open before detaching herself from the ladder and climbing onto the thick concrete ledge that jutted away from the door.

Checking the halls, she found them clear.

Lucy slipped down the empty corridor and to her room door. She punched in the code quickly and bolted inside, letting the metal slab slide back into place. She flipped the light on. The room was fairly large with a small built in kitchen, a living room space and a door that lead to her room and bathroom. It looked much like the Senator's apartment had, save the extra chair near the kitchen.

She strode into her room, the door already wide open, and retrieved a suitcase from beneath her bed. Opening the top, she set it on the satin covers and began pulling clothes from her small closet and dresser, looking them over one at a time before either folding them neatly and setting them in the luggage case or tossing them into a pile beside her bed. After having packed her clothes, she scoured the small apartment for anything she'd bring along; a few books, her PDL, and the basic hygienic necessities.

Despite the glee that filled her, she was also a bit nervous. Her father had never really shown much interest in her and she wondered if showing up on their doorstep unannounced was a good idea; granted her mother would let her stay, but would her father approve or would he see it as a nuisance since he was a 'business man and didn't have time to baby-sit'?

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind where it sat like an annoying buzz in her ear as she packed the last of her belongings and took the suitcase into the living room, setting it beside the couch. She returned to her room to clean the mess.

_Mother would be proud of me, _She thought silently as she folded the pile of clothes, _but will father? No, he'd see it only as my duty and I'd receive no praise for doing what I was supposed to do for the Utopia. He's so hard to please._

Shaking the thoughts off, she put the clothes away and went into the bathroom, starting her shower. _Think of the positives, Lucy. You get to see your mother again. At least she'll be happy to see her daughter._

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_Yes, in this fanfiction Lucy's mother is alive, but I have plans. Verry evil plans…er Yeah, she's alive. :D_

_Anyway, review please? I really want to know if you guys think this was a good idea for a fanfiction or not. Personally, I had fun writing this since I'm a dork and like Science Fiction. _


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